The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-02-26
A SPREE FOR SCIENCE.
DR.. hAMMONO'S ASTONISHING Ex-
PERiENCES WITH COCAINE.

Small Dose Produces an Exhilaration
of Spirit.-A StinuIAnt for the Imagina-
tion-AbnormaI Loquaeity-A Severe
observation-disclosures
DIR. Hammond had used coca wines fluid
extracts, and other forms of the drug, but
had discarded the fluid extracts because they
were badly borne by the stomach, and the
wines because they contained tannin and
extractive matters and differed SO much in
their effects. He found that two grains of
hydrochloride of cocaine to the pint of pure
wine was the proper preparation and pro
duced all the beneficial effects and none OF
the deleterious results. Then he began a
series Of experiments with hypodermic nice
tions of the hydrochloride to ascertain
whether the stories about the cocaine habit
were true or false.
AT first | injected one grain and expert
enced an exhilaratiOn of spirits similar to
that produced by two or three glasses of
champagne" said DIR. Hammond To
porter. My powers of imagination in
creased. The physical sensation a de-
hghtful unolulating thrill. / was in Il very
happy frame of mind-a sociable mood
and no doubt would have been quite agree
able company. The after effects were in
ability to sleep until ) in the morning, and
headache when 1 got up. The next night l
took two grains, and in addition to the SEN
sations described felt a desire To write. /
had begun a letter to friend, and under the
influence of the drug 1 extended what would
have been a miSsive of moderate length to
an epistle covering wide variety of topics
and forty eight pages of paper. Ii proved
to be correctly written and coherent and
gave much satisfaction to the receiver, but l
found that had treated diffusely of many
things that ordinarily l would not deem
worth mentioning.
STIMULATING THE IMAGINATION.
IF q man were DESTROYS of writing to fill
space or utterly exhausting given subject
even to the most thrilling details, / would
recommend him to fill his inkstand, get a
ream or two of paper and plenty of pens,
and have a physician give him a hypodermic
injection of cocaine. III you want to con
dense your subject don't take cocaine in large
doses. No doubt a moderate quantity taken
in wine will stimulate the imagination and
enable one to write more brilliantly and with
less effort than he otherwise could. Eugene
Sue never wrote without a bottle of cham
payne at his elbow md the luxuriance of his
imagination displ, cd in the Wandering
jew may be attributed in part, to the
effects of the wine. The difference between
cocaine and alcohol as stimulants is that
alcohol has a tendency to lower the mental
and moral tone and brutalize the nature,
while cocaine has a refining, softening effect.
Under the-infiuence of moderate doses 1 be
came rather sentimental and said nice things
to everyb body. The world going very
we'll and l had a favorable opinion of my
fellow men and women TAere was not "A
bit of pugnacity about me, and | didn't
want tn fight, argue dispute with any one.
The next time l increased the dose To
three grains. which unlimbered my tongue in
the most astonishing way. | wanted To
talk AMI | did talk not in the oratorical
manner, but | was just purely loquacious.
When nobody was present | talked to my
self. There no diSarrangement of the
mental faculties, disorder of the process
Of Thought i talked coherently and cor
rectly ami / am certain that if | had been
in the lecture room | should have spoken
much better than l usually speak. | was
perfectly able to restrain the impulse to talk,
but it was pleasant TO speak, and l enjoyed
myself hugely. There abnormal
auickening of the faculties: the minds opera
lions were rapid and the imagination vivid.
Headache followed
Then l doubled the quantity of the
cocaine and became somewhat intoxicated.
The scribbling propensity returned, and
wrote unanimously. l was preparing a
medical work, and my mind was full of the
subject matter. What l wrote was intro
duction to the book, and thought il a very
brilliant production Ideas came thick and
fast, and was persuaded that my compost
ton work was going To eclipse anything that
had ever done in that hne. When put il
away and went to bed / congratulated
myself that / should be satisfied with my
nights work when should read Il ever.